Summary Of Learning Content

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Cite regions or places where specific religions
evolved.
2. Analyze the culture of the region that gave rise to
specific religions.
3. Explain how geography influences religion and
religion affects culture.
 LESSON 2: THE EMERGENCE
HOW WORLD RELIGION
BEGAN OF RELIGION
• The earliest evidence of spiritual belief among humans' dates back to
the Paleolithic Period. It may be said that as communities became
increasingly complex and sophisticated, moving beyond merely
addressing the most basic needs of food and shelter, humans began
to ponder matters of existence, being, and purpose.
THE GEOGRAPHIC, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT
INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIONS

• Religions are practiced differently in various parts

of the world. They are significant for many
people because they establish different lifestyles
among their believers.
• In Hinduism, for example, cows and other
animals are considered sacred, therefore Hindus
are vegetarians and do not kill cows or eat beef.
THE GEOGRAPHIC, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT
INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIONS
• Cultural diversity played a great part in shaping religions.
In the Neolithic era, pre-colonial Filipinos expressed their
religion through artistic means, such as carving figurines of
their deities and gods.
• In In Egypt, there are religious writings called the Pyramid
Texts. These texts are considered the oldest religious
writings in the world and make up the principal funerary
literature of ancient Egypt.
THE GEOGRAPHIC, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT
INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIONS

• Social factors also help shape individuals’

beliefs, lifestyles, and personalities. These
may include prominent personalities who
have greatly impacted their respective
religions: Pope John Paul II and Mother
Teresa.
THE GEOGRAPHIC, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT
INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIONS

• For example, are considered among the

most influential personalities of the
Catholic Church. Martin Luther, with his
reformations, has changed people's views
and ideas of Christianity.
THE GEOGRAPHIC, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT
INFLUENCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIONS

• Different groups from different countries

have their own belief systems and
religions. Various regions around the
world have had varying levels of access to
resources at different points in time, and
so these regions progress at different
rates.
DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
NILE RIVER IN EGYPT INDUS VALLEY IN INDIA

YELLOW RIVER BASIN IN CHINA

• The Nile River in Egypt, the Indus Valley in India, and
the Yellow River basin in China are the sites where
early civilization established towns, erected massive
structures, developed stratified societies, and
created systems of writing. These developments
occurred during the Bronze Age, a period
characterized by the increased production and use
of bronze tools and weapons. The following are
some of the civilizations that flourished during the
Bronze Age.
Mesopotamia
• The oldest Mesopotamian
cities were founded around
3000 BCE by the
Sumerians. The Sumerian
city-states were dominated
by the Akkadian,
Babylonian, and Assyrian
Empires.
 Egypt
• Irrigated by the Nile River
and sheltered by desserts as
well as the sea, Egyptian
civilization remained more
protected and peaceful than
that of Mesopotamia. Egypt
emerged as a cohesive and
thriving empire. Religion
greatly influenced Egyptian
life.
 Indus Valley Civilization
• At about 2300 BCE, approximately seventy
Indus cities had developed a sophisticated
urban culture, the major cities being
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. The Indus
people flourished along the banks of the
Indus River. They lived in brick houses in
well-planned villages, and were successful
agriculturists who grew and cultivated
cotton, and raised buffalo, goats, dogs,
pigs, and sheep.
China
• the Shang dynasty (1766-1050
BCE) established the first
recognized Bronze Age
civilization along the Yellow
River basin in China. Their
successors, the Zhou (1050—
256 BCE), reigned from city-
states as combatant
aristocrats who battled
foreigners and each other.
 The Americas
•The prominent societies in
the Americas arose in areas
that had robust agriculture. In
the region of Mesopotamia,
ancient societies cultivated
maize or corn. The Andres
valleys contributed a mixture
of agriculture and the rich
marine resources from the
Pacific.
The table below shows some belief system that emerged throughout the
world over the centuries:

Belief System Start Date End Date

Animism 2500 BCE
Hinduism 3,500 BCE
Shaivism 4,500 BCE
Proto-Indo- European religion 2,400 BCE 300 BCE
Ugaritic Polytheism 1900 BCE 1190 BCE
Taoism 500 BCE
Shintoism 1000 BCE
The table below shows some belief system that emerged throughout the
world over the centuries:

Orthodox Judaism 1500 BCE

Roman Catholic Church 30 CE
Sunni Islam 632 CE
Reform Judaism 1809 CE
Hasidism 1740 CE
Gnosticism 100 CE
Conservative Judaism 1846 CE
Reconstructionist Judaism 1922 CE
Shi’ite Islam 656 CE
Sufism 658 CE
The table below shows some belief system that emerged throughout the
world over the centuries:

Druze 1017 CE
Baha’i Faith 1863 CE
Eastern Orthodoxy 1054 CE
Protestantism 1529 CE
Unitarianism 1539 CE
Mormonism 1830 CE
Rastafari 1930 CE
Baptist 1608 CE
The table below shows some belief system that emerged throughout the
world over the centuries:

Methodism 1738 CE
Adventist 1831 CE
Jehovah’s Witnesses 1872 CE
Vedism 1500 BCE
Zoroastrianism 551 BCE
Vaishnavism 700 BCE
Vedanta 600 BCE
Early Buddhism 483 BCE 300 BCE
Shaktism 600 CE
Saivism 400 BCE
Sikhism 1499 CE
The table below shows some belief system that emerged throughout the
world over the centuries:

Jainism 500 BCE

Smartism 820 CE
Lingayat 1200 CE
Theravada Buddhism 300 BCE
Mahayana Buddhism 100 CE
Hare Krishna 1965 CE
Source: “The Evolution of the World’s Religions from Beginning to Present”’ religiontree.com
The Distribution and Spread of Religions

• Park (2004) distinguishes between two

types of religions based on geographic
distribution. Universal religions are those
that are widely distributed, and whose
goal is to convert people. Believers are
encouraged to share their beliefs with
non-believers.
The Distribution and Spread of Religions

• Universal religions engage in missionary

activities and admit new members
through symbolic acts of commitment.
Ethnic religions, on the other hand, are
confined to particular countries or regions.
The Distribution and Spread of Religions
• In the Philippines, for example, Christianity has
undergone transformational changes unique to the
Filipino people; many of these changes reflect
precolonial belief systems. Common practices in the
country, particularly in rural areas, include the fiesta
a celebration in veneration of a town's Catholic
patron saint- and devotion to the numerous titles of
The Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Manaoag,"*Our Lady
of Caysasay, "Our Lady of Salambao'').
Religion, Culture, and Society
• Culture, according to de Leon (2012), is a
system of vital 1deas that contain, energize
and direct virtually every aspect of social life
and a person's relationship with the world.
Culture touches everything from the
humanities to the sciences, from religion to
technology.
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